


Evening

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Children, Drama, F/M, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-02-18
Updated: 2008-02-18
Packaged: 2019-05-31 09:26:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15116525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: Sometimes it felt as if their whole life was one big production...please ignore the man behind the curtain.





	Evening

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

CJ lit a cigarette and sipped her wine as Leo came out onto the deck. He smiled at her.

“Hey there.”

“Hello honey.”

She tilted her chin up to accept his kiss. Leo stroked her cheek. It was a warm September night and a steady rain fell outside the covered deck of the Naval Observatory. The Vice-President sat next to his wife at the head of the table. CJ took a deep breath as she looked off into the night.

“I wanted to come out and talk earlier but I saw you on the phone.”

“I was talking to Kate, trying to convince her to come to DC for her birthday. I don’t spend enough time with her and I need to rectify that. We’re both so damn busy though.”

“Does she not want to come?” Leo asked.

“I don’t think it’s that. Kate is very private, very quiet Leo; you know that. We live a very public life and that is not the life for her. Even just coming for a visit would put her in the paper or some rag. As much as I hate that answer, I can certainly understand it. Still, she said she would think about it because of course she misses me. I want her to get to know Nora better…the two of them would be so good together. We would have a great time.”

“Perhaps you could take Kate away for her birthday.” Leo said. He put out the cigarette that CJ placed in the ashtray. He did not mind her smoking occasionally but she seemed to be doing it more lately. His wife did not object to his action. “You two had a good time when you went away after the Inauguration.”

“I thought about that too and it is still an idea. Can I admit that I wanted to show off just a bit? Some of the perks of being Second Lady of the United States are pretty cool; I wanted to show off for my oldest and dearest friend.”

“Some of the perks are decent.”

CJ nodded, drinking the last of her wine. She put her chin in the palm of her hand and studied her husband.

“What did you do today, Leopold? It seems strange that I didn’t see you very much on a Saturday.”

“There is a Cabinet meeting on Monday morning and Defense meetings most of the afternoon so I was in the office reading and having pre-meetings. The Midwest junket is next week so the staff is still ironing out the last of those details. It was not a stressful day but a busy one. Mitch told me that Tim was under the weather when I came in this evening.”

“He has a low grade fever…I don’t want to over worry yet. Any trip to the ER would be a production and I don’t want that for Tim. The last time Mitch checked his temperature was 99 but if it does not return to normal by tomorrow afternoon I will call the pediatrician here.”

“Is it a cold?” Leo asked.

“Most likely. I'm just glad he was able to rest today and keep down some soup and bread. I'm doing my best not to hover.”

“Ditto. I already checked on him twice since I came in. I told Mitch to look in on him every 45 minutes or so. What about Charlie?”

“Fine so far, though not happy about the separation from her brother. She insisted on story time together tonight; Mitch and I relented. I'm glad to have the weekend off to spend with them.”

“I wish you were traveling with me next week. I hate campaigning but I definitely hate campaigning alone.”

They were a little over a year away from the general election and a possible second term for Santos/McGarry. There was no clear Republican challenger yet…three men seemed to want the job. They were all formidable opponents. The President showed excellent numbers right now and so did Leo. While behind the scenes everyone worked as hard as they always did, confidence levels were high on reelection. CJ still didn’t know how she felt about it. She found it better to continue focusing on one day at a time than gazing too far into the future. The McGarry marriage was calm right now and neither Mr. nor Mrs. intended to screw that up if they could help it.

“You are not going to be alone; the gang will be behind you as always. I'm not comfortable leaving the children behind for a whole week without one of us. If we take them along…”

“Oh boy,” Leo laughed. “A three-ring circus. Though we have definitely had some good times on the road with them.’

“Yeah, we have. I think the President is going to want us to do at least a few family things when the election comes closer.”

“Will you do that?”

“As long as we have some kind of control. You know I do not want the press having too much access to my children.”

“I know baby, and I promised you that they would not.”

It probably was not the best time to bring up Leo’s track record on promises. If he let down the American people as much as he had his wife in the past, next November they would all be applying for new jobs. CJ bit her lip.

“Have you had dinner?” she asked.

“I had some pizza and salad at the White House. I'm actually ready to call it a night. I need a hot shower and a little quiet time with my wife.”

“I think Sneakers is on Encore in about an hour.”

“That sounds good. I'm going to head upstairs and get out of this suit.”

“I’ll join you in a little while.”

Leo leaned over and kissed her. He did not have the chance to do that all day. At least they would be able to have some alone time tomorrow. Usually when they were both in town, the McGarrys preferred the weekend for themselves and their children. Life was a neverending stream of meetings, photos, interviews, and politics. Sometimes it felt as if their whole life was one big production…please ignore the man behind the curtain. 

CJ took a deep breath as Leo went inside. She watched him turn the corner toward the front staircase before lighting another cigarette. Justifying it by deciding only to smoke half, CJ took a deep inhale. It was time to call it a day.

***

Leo brushed his wet hair and studied himself in the mirror. Opening his pajama top, he stared at his bypass scar. It had been four years since his massive heart attack at Camp David and the double bypass surgery that saved his life, three years since the Democratic National Convention when Leo walked out on stage and declared himself the nominee for Vice-President of the United States. Less than one year since the midterm election in which the Democrats finally took back the House. Too much had happened since the summer of 1997 when he went to see Jed Bartlet at the State House in Concord with a napkin and a crazy idea.

The Vice-President took a deep breath, gargled, and buttoned his pajama top. In his bedroom, he smiled at his wife. She was already under the blankets and TCM played on the flat screen television.

“Hey baby.”

“Hey, Mr. Vice-President. Why don’t you come to bed?”

He nodded, climbing between the sheets and holding his wife close. He used the remote to turn off the television. He had intentions that were more romantic tonight. Leo exhaled when CJ stroked the nape of his neck.

“Every night should end in your arms.” She whispered.

“Oh yeah. What am I going to do for a week without you?”

“Mmm, I don’t want to think about that. We are together tonight and we will have a special day with the kids tomorrow.”

“I would not mind having a special night tonight.” Leo said.

CJ pulled away, smiling at him. She stroked his face before moving to unbutton his top.

“Tell me what you want, Mr. Vice-President.”

“I want my beautiful wife. I want to hear how much she loves me; I want to feel how much she loves me.”

CJ kissed him passionately, sliding the shirt down his arms. Leo wrapped his arms around her as they changed position on the bed. He lifted the nightshirt over his wife’s head and held her close; the feeling of her breasts pressed on his chest was one Leo would always relish.

“I love you Claudia Jean.”

“I love you too. Make love to me.”

She let Leo have the moment and completely surrendered to his attention. There would be another night, a morning, and possibly a lazy afternoon when CJ would run the show. The Vice-President certainly did not mind his wife's domination in the bedroom. Tonight he wanted the control. He wanted to kiss her all over, stroke her, and taste her. He wanted her back to arch, her thighs to clench, and the tears to fall from her eyes. He wanted to hear his name repeatedly…a sweet whisper and a savage scream. He wanted his hips gripped and his lip bitten.

“Oh baby, baby, oh CJ, oh God, oh dear God!”

“Leo!” she sobbed, gripping him hard as they reached the zenith together.

In a single moment, all of their senses exploded and filled the room like fireworks. Leo could not help but groan as every ounce of energy drained from his body. His wife held him on top of her, stroking his sweaty back while listening to his ragged breaths in her ear.

“Sometimes I wish there were words that could make me feel like that makes me feel.” She said.

“Sometimes there are words that are better.”

Leo collapsed on the mattress and took his wife into his arms. She stroked his bypass scar before placing the palm of her hand over it and feeling his heartbeat. It was a steady thump, a bit quick but not erratic. She held her hand there until it returned to normal. There was still a part of her, somewhere down past the pit of her stomach, which worried when they had vigorous sex. 

Leo was not a sick man but he was a 63-year-old man with heart problems. Sex was a very important part of their marriage, their life together. It never stopped her from worrying that it could hurt him. CJ would never forgive herself if her healthy libido ever brought harm to her husband.

“Claudia Jean?”

“Hmm?”

“You're worrying.”

“I'm not.”

“You are…you're tense. How long have I known you? You can't hide that from me, baby. What's the matter?”

“When is your next doctor’s appointment?” she asked.

“Thursday. I thought it would be a good idea to go before an extended trip. I'm fine though. I feel fine and I have been doing everything I'm supposed to do. I don’t anticipate there being any kind of problem.”

“I worry about you.” She wrapped her arms tighter around him.

“I know.” Leo kissed her forehead. “I also know that no matter what I say you always will. I'm sorry that I give you cause to worry but I promise that nothing concerning my health will ever again be a secret to you.”

CJ was quiet but he heard the change in her breathing. She was not crying but he knew that she could start at any moment. He would comfort her but hated that he could not truly make her feel better.

“It’s a double-edged sword; our sexual love. It feels glorious to be stripped bare by you Leo, but when I am, I become a bundle of emotions. So there is this euphoria and then comes worry, doubt, fear, and sometimes anger…I love it and then hate it.”

“Tell me what I can do to make it better.”

“I'm not sure you can do anything at all. We just keep doing the best we can. One day at a time, loving each other, trusting each other, and above all else communicating with each other. It’s when we stop talking that we lose the game.”

He hated to think of his marriage as a game, but Leo also needed to remain honest with himself. He was Vice-President of the United States…he did nothing alone. His marriage was frequently a sphere with a revolving cast of characters based on any given situation. It was difficult to keep control of his life when there were people well paid to control it for him. 

He knew that it sometimes drove his wife crazy and it would all explode in heated fights that could last for days at a time. Their marriage would be run like bipartisan mediation in the halls of the Capitol. Sometimes it seemed as if they were not going to make it. Thank God, it was not that way tonight.

“I don’t like to lose.” Leo said. “And I love you so much.”

“I love you too Leo McGarry. You need your rest; we can do this all over again tomorrow.”

“Another adventure, I bet. Sweet dreams, Mrs. McGarry.”

They shared another kiss and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

***


End file.
